Governor Dannel Malloy (D) praised the bill’s passage and has stated that he fully intends to sign it, which would make Connecticut the 17th state in the U.S. to have legalized medical marijuana. Including the District of Columbia, that’s 18 out of 51 states/districts in the nation, meaning more than a third of the country now has legal medicinal cannabis.

HB 5389 passed by a 21-13 vote at 2:35 a.m. local time. The extended session was primarily due to the filibustering of State Senator Toni Boucher (R-Wilton), who reportedly lectured on the dangers of medical marijuana (she views it as both highly addictive and a gateway drug) for over eight hours in voicing her opposition.

But in the end, compassion and logic won out over propaganda and scare tactics, with Boucher’s attempts to have the bill amended to restrict it even further being voted down as well. ~ read more